Written By Ellie Edwards

Photographed By Braeden Cooper

Modeled By Alayna Love, Ellie Edwards, Sarah Harbaugh, & Vivian Rodriguez

Stripes have been rocked around the globe for decades through a variety of styles. Picture classic grunge looks with multicolored muted striped tones, or striped business casual button-downs. Then, there are nautical sailor stripes or the fashionable French caricature clad in black and white stripes and a matching black beret. Regardless of the garb, stripes have been turning heads for as long as they’ve been worn, and their popularity continues to rise.

Stripes are timeless. In the 1920s, men donned pinstripe suits, while women of the 1960s wore brightly colored striped dresses. The hippies of the 1970s gravitated toward striped bell bottoms and vests. Today, we see the same pattern worn by billions of people. No matter the area of the world, the fashion of the time, or the cultural differences, stripes remain a fashion commonality.

When I wear stripes, it is usually a cozy look for me. A colorful striped sweater is something I live for–throw on a little skirt with some platform boots and you've got a quick, cute outfit. A friend of mine told me that when thinking about stripes, it reminded them of the golden age of the “Art Hoe,''back in 2018 and,while that made me chuckle, it was also true. If you are unfamiliar with the term, it basically means you are a quirky, artsy queen who wears colorful stripes, primary colors, and that Fjällräven Kånken backpack all over town. The Art Hoe movement was created by and for African American women. Tumblr user sensitiveblackperson coined the term, which evolved into something people everywhere could enjoy and swept through the street fashion world. And while I definitely love this trend still, I do think it had its prime time years ago. However, I do believe the vibe of the trend is back and stripes are officially IN!

Even though today’s trendy stripes may not be worn in the exact same way as they were in the Art Hoe movement, they definitely share similar aesthetics. A lot of people these days enjoy the classic colorful striped t-shirt look with baggy jeans, or maybe some striped pants with a cute mesh top. You really can't go wrong with stripes. This pattern has fit into many other styles in fashion over the years as well: they can be edgier, classier, a little more granola perhaps; this is why the pattern has always been found so fun–everyone gets to love them! Growing up wearing this fun pattern in all of my different fashion girly stages of life, I have really learned to appreciate them. Exploring and learning about how other people style stripes is so cool because it can give you inspiration for a new look you might want to try and it's always so much fun to see how other people strut their stripes.

A Bad Case of The Stripes